Two firefighters from the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department suffered burns while battling a basement fire in a house in Mount Rainer.

At about 5:25 p.m., units from the Fourth Battatlion and surrounding area were dispatched for a reported house fire at the intersection on 34th Street and Varnum Street. Within seconds, a utility vehicle from the Brentwood station arrived on the scene and reported a working fire with heavy smoke coming from the house at 4405 34th Street.

Engine company crews from Mount Rainer and Hyattsville made an agressive interior attack in the basement while other members of their crews assisted units from Riverdale, Cottage City, Bladensburg and Brentwood in searching for a reported person trapped and controlling the fire spread.

In the course of battling the blaze, two firefighters on the attack line from the Hyattsville station extinguising the fire in a rear basement bedroom suffered burns.

Volunteer Lieutenant Marshall Davies, 22, suffered second-degree burns to the wrists and shoulders. Volunteer Sergeant Charles B. Patrick, also 22, suffered second- and third-degree burns to the back of his neck. Both firefighters were taken to Washington Hospital Center's MedStar Burn Unit in Washington, D.C. Patrick was released after several hours of treatment while Davies was kept overnight and not expected to return to duty for at least several weeks. Davies and Patrick were members of the crew from Engine 11 and 12. Davies is a former recipient of the county's Bronze Medal of Valor for his actions to save a fellow firefighter who had fallen through a floor at a 3-alarm building fire.

The fire took about 15 minutes to bring under control and some units were on the scene for almost three hours checking for extension and performing salvage and overhaul operations.

Firefighters were hindered in the basement by tight passageways and only one means of egress. The house had been divided and there was no stairway between the basement and first floor.

Investigators have determined that the cause of the fire was a malfunctioning electrical panel in the basement. Damages are estimated at $35,000 to the structure and $25,000 to the contents.

Units responding: 1725 hours: Engine Companies 3, 4, 1 & 9, Truck 2 and Battalion Chief 4 dispatched. Ambulance 18, Tower 7 and Truck 9 also responded. Chief 4a, Chief 2a, Car 110 and 115 (Safety) and Division Chief 1 were among the command and staff officers on the call.
1730: Medic 1 and additional EMS units responded after initial report of resident trapped inside the house. All occupants later accounted for. 1805: Engine 341 (already transferring to Co.1) and Rescue Squad 1 were called to assist.
Also on scene: Breathing Air 44, Car 61 (PIO), Office of Emergency Preparedness, Investigators, Office of Special Hazards.

In all, 15 fire and EMS personnel from the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call. There were a total of 48 personnel operating on the fireground at the peak of the incident.

For more information about this incident, contact the Prince George's County Fire Department's Office of Public Information at (301) 883-5220.